A ticket to the Bullock Brother Farm Three day permie course

Somehow I managed to cajole/sucker/sweet talk/stumble into ...  well ... something happened after to talking Dave Boehnlein ...  and now I have a ticket to the Bullock Brothers three day permaculture workshop to give away. 

This is, by far, the premier permaculture farm of the northwest.   Not only by reputation, but I've been there.  Twice!  It is my obnoxious, arrogant opinion that, yes, the Bullock Brother's farm is, by far, the best, and the coolest, permaculture farm in the Northwest.  I would try to say the whole US - but I haven't been to many outside of the northwest.  And while I haven't been to Sepp's place in Austria, I would say that Sepp's is better - but soooooo far away.

Further - there are people that live at the Bullock Brothers farm, so tickets to go there are very limited.   I know that this year's PDC is already full and has a waiting list.  And I tried to convince Dave that they should offer another, but the concern there is that the place would then become too much of a train station. 

The value of this ticket is $200.  The particulars are here.

And since we're gonna run this like we have run book promotions in the past ...  Dave is gonna be here regularly through May 18th (I picked the date - Mt. St. Helens day - boom baby!).  He'll be answering your tough permaculture questions.  I have hammered Dave with some of my toughest questions for years and have to say that Dave is damn sharp and extremely knowledgeable.   He is a permaculture instructor instructor:  in other words, he teaches how to teach permaculture classes. 

Here's the particulars about getting this ticket:

      I have a little program that will collect all of the posts to this forum for a date range (I'll set that to today through May 18).  It will then mix them all up and show me five posts at random.   From those five, I'll pick out the best post!  I'll then pass the winner's email address to Dave so Dave can arrange the particulars.

      I'll run this little program on May 18th - or really close to May 18th.

      The more you post in this forum, the better your chances of getting the magic ticket!

      A "good post" is a post that asks a great question, an answer to a question or even just an offering of some interesting information.   Posts that just say "thanks" or "hi" don't count as good posts.

Good luck!

And ... at this point I usually welcome the author ... or, in this case, Dave ... but Dave's been hanging out here once in a while for years!

Thanks for the ticket Dave!  I look forward to reading what you say over the next few weeks!

Well, my understanding is that there are still tickets available for sale.  So if you wanna make sure that you get one, you can always buy one.

Otherwise, these guys could participate in this forum and they might win my ticket.

Or you could participate in this forum and then maybe you would win the ticket and then when dave writes to deston at gmail  dot com you can say (in your best county commissioner voice) "my name is County Commissioner!"

And presto!  Your dream has come true!

Of course, if you are trying to send some cranky poopy pants up to the bullocks, then won't it spoil the fun for everybody else? 

Gee I thought we were suppose to affect them, not vice versa!

but I should have framed my question like this: In the face of dominant but toppling paradigm, what are the key leverage points you would suggest for affecting systemic change in regards to the elements i linked to in the previous posts?

there, now Ive asked a pretty tough permaculturesort of question. If im randomly selected (as I understand it) I'd pass the ticket to a commish. as a gift.

If he showed I would trust we could affect him, and not vice versa. Blow a mind the kind way.

one day and one mind at a time,

mycellium in the machines!

D

So my email box is filling up with "hey!  can you give me that ticket?"

So, I want to be clear:  my evil plot of the moment has two goals:

1)  to sorta be able to recreate a wee workshop at the bullocks as much as possible on-line.  Right here.  We have Dave and we have lots of people that are keen to hear what Dave has to say.  So I figure if we can get a lot of permie discussion going here, we can kinda feed our permie needs a bit.   Ahhhhhhh  ....

2)  There are still tickets available for this class.  You can buy a ticket if you want. 

And as long as I'm on  roll:

3)  I've been learning that there are heaps of folks that don't even know that the BB farm exists!  Well, now there's a big gob of pictures and one of the main folks here to chat up about it.  And a free ticket to go to .... somebody ...  so I think this is a ripe opportunity for all of us to spread the word far and wide about not just the BB farm, but also about permaculture in general.

4)  I think this is also a great time to get folks tied into this little online community.  I think the more we come together and exchange, the more we all grow.  And the more we can shape what workshops might be offered in the future.

So ...  in summary:  I'm giving the ticket to somebody that is a participant in THIS forum!  I stated that in the beginning.  So to give the ticket to somebody else at this time would be unfair to those folks that are already participating.

Paul, I'd love to be able to visit Dave's farm -- it looks really neat.  But if you pull my name up in your drawing, could you please put someone else in there instead?  With livestock to take care of (milking twice a day), there's just no way I could travel that far to attend a three-day workshop, much as I wish I could.

Kathleen

Freeholder wrote:
Paul, I'd love to be able to visit Dave's farm -- it looks really neat.  But if you pull my name up in your drawing, could you please put someone else in there instead?  With livestock to take care of (milking twice a day), there's just no way I could travel that far to attend a three-day workshop, much as I wish I could.

Kathleen

I will try to remember.

So, I'm new to this forum.  honestly I don't spend much time in these sorts of pixeled spaces, preferring the gritty texture of dirt to the rigid plasticity of computers keys.  But in pursuit of the coveted Bullock Bros ticket, I'll try to say something interesting. 

I don't consider myself a resident of the state of Washington so much as the state of Cascadia.  Sure, perhaps I'm taking the book Ecotopia too seriously, but I really feel a visceral connection with this region, this semi to fully mediterranean strip of coastal land, stretching the length of the cascades and on the the Sierra Nevadas, this strip of land from BC to the Lost Coast that seems such a soft and nutritious medium for sprouting the seeds of the kind of sustainability practiced by the Bullock Bros.  May there be many more like them.

And yes, I would love that ticket.  So one question, can I post anywhere on the forum for a chance at the ticket, or only specifically to this thread? 

Also, thought I'd mention that I'm friends of Karla's.  I live with her at the Wedgwood co-op, just in case that helps my chances, 

 

Karla is a lovely person.  Perhaps if you prodded her into coming her a bit, that would improve your chances.

I should say that posting to this one thread doesn't help your chances at all.  This thread is sorta reserved for talking about the ticket. 

But all of the other threads on this forum counts a great deal. 

So, if you start a new thread, or if you participate in an existing thread - either/both counts.  The more you post, the better your chances of getting my ticket!

I should clarify that other forums don't count.  So, if you were to, say, post in the "lawn care" forum - that would not count. 

My little program is designed to harvest posts from just one forum. 

Hi there,

I'm confused.  I keep trying to become eligible for the ticket, but every time I write to this forum it gets broken off and put in a different forum.  How can I qualify if my posts won't stay put?  Not that I mind opening new threads, but how can I qualify to win the ticket?

~Crystal

Here is a permaculture riddle ive been messing with. its a little more academic than proacticle, but a fun gum to chew.

I have a 60 ac open space with some half beat soil and grasses, blackberries, etc.  in the soil is a plethora of field mice. the raptors in the area love it, but dont control the epidemic. I asked sepp holzer if he might have a way to use the mice as a functional element. they tractor, shred, aerate, create water drains and textures in soils, etc, as well as controlling weed seed. problem is that they will eat just about anything that you have a mind to plant, or tear its roots up. we know exceptions to this and can create some buffers, but my real question is: to what purpose and with what method cold one 'herd' field mice/voles. Sepp replied that they make great rototillers- up to 4 feet deep. I said wow. He said that its possible because pigs will dig that far o eat thier nests. so, pig fodder as fuel source for pig tractoring is already covered. other ideas?

best

deston

note: this got posted as a separate thread from the bullocks brothers ticket thread by Paul W the first time I attempted this ... lets see if it works this time..

Crystal-

I think that the idea is instead of turning this thread into a giant collection of disparate ideas/questions, Paul is launching these posts as individual threads.  The goal (I believe) is to increase the number of threads, rather than the total number of posts.  As a member of less-intelligently-moderated forums, I can only say:  Thank you for the sorting!  It becomes cumbersome to read through threads that meander from topic to topic.  It also makes searching through past threads much easier when the title actually reflects the discussion.

As far as the mice go, I'm stumped!

Ryan Lenz

Deston,

You caught me!

This thread is about the ticket I'm trying to give away.  You posted about 60 acres and small furry critters.  I just figured you replied when what you really meant to do was start a new thread.

Hi there,

I'm confused again.  I didn't post about mice.  So I'll make sure I'm clear. 
I would like to be eligible to win the ticket.  If my posting comes up when
you do the drawing thing, please know that I would love to go. 

I am starting my own school called "Free Range School" and my husband
and I own five acres of wetlands/woodlands, so the knowledge would
be beneficial for our property as well as for educating the next generation.

I am also an Ecotopia fan.  Three cheers for Cascadia!

~Crystal

Crystal Poppy wrote:
Hi there,

I'm confused.  I keep trying to become eligible for the ticket, but every time I write to this forum it gets broken off and put in a different forum.  How can I qualify if my posts won't stay put?  Not that I mind opening new threads, but how can I qualify to win the ticket?

Crystal,

This thread is for talking about my ticket.  Posting to this thread isn't going to count. 

This thread is in a forum full of threads.  If you reply to one of those other threads, or if you start your own thread, that will count. 

I moved your post from this thread to a thread on its own.  Thus making your post count. 

now I mconfused. i though our posts for the ticket were supposed to be in this thread. posts eligible for tickets are any new thread in the permaculture forum?

Okay, now I think I understand.  Thanks for clarifying and thanks for organizing this.  It must
be quite a job to keep up on!

~Crystal

Deston Lee wrote:
now I mconfused. i though our posts for the ticket were supposed to be in this thread. posts eligible for tickets are any new thread in the permaculture forum?

Posts in any thread, old or new.

So if you comment on a thread from a year ago, that counts.

If you comment on a thread started yesterday, that counts.

If you start a new thread, that counts.

Just a note here… the more I hang out in this forum, the more I realize how badly I need to attend this course.  LOL  I came into this knowing I didn't know enough and now I know even less than I thought I didn't know!  wait… yeah… that's right… I think…

WE live nearby- Guemes Island. have a permaculture type alternative style homestead. Have a greywater system that feeds a bed in a greenhouse that basically works well for many years. Now Skagit county is coming down heavy on septic systems and it seems they have no understanding of grey water systems or any thing less than regular septic tank with a reduced drain field. Not wanting the expense or destruction that would be caused by putting in a system that we wouldn't want to use, we don't know what to do. What do they use at the Bullocks farm? Does Sam Juan county have more lenient regulations? Any help or info about greywater and beaurocracy much appreciated. I would love to visit the farm. Muchas Gracias

This is worth registering for a first post!
I saw the interview of the Bullock Brothers nursery on Peak Moment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW7LcNAYBWg Worth watching) and found it very inspirational.

As I make my way into the wild world of permaculture I find myself interested in the potential of fungi.

My question is this, to what extent do you assist or direct the role of mycelium?
Do you attempt to pull a mushroom crop or leave the realm of the fungi fully in the hands of nature?

Most seem...shy...when it comes to working with this kingdom yet it seems, in my eyes at least, to hold a lot of potential.

Thanks!

~Christian


Edit: I just read the rest of the thread and now see the confusion, I will leave this question here if you do not mind and start it as its own thread too.

Welcome to Mt St. Helens day!

I ran my little program and it says that there were 57 valid threads, from which, it fished out 345 valid posts.  And from that, it showed me five posts and from those five posts, I picked this post by Jacqueline Freeman.

Congratulations Jacqueline!  I'll be sending your email address to Dave.  You and Dave can work out the particulars from there. 

For those of you that did not win, my impression is that there are still spaces available for the class.  My impression is that these tickets are the last tickets for this year to go to the Bullock Brothers Farm!

I hope she enjoys the trip, myself it would have been impossible so I'm glad she was picked..